Well more broadly the US had to adapt far reaching initiatives that were close to National Socialism to win the war. You had governments controlling everything through rationing, cracking down on war desent, domestic spying yada yada.
And following the war the importation of German scientists and specialists continuing working under those same initiatives bleed into and influenced those programs, that they became the same things the US fought against. The American space race was a continuination of the German rocket program, for example.
I'm wondering what some of the smart people on this forum feel about this theory
Yep, we were already a regional militaristic bully before the world wars. Ever heard of Smedley Butler? Marine general who won the medal of honor twice and later wrote a book titled War is a Racket. The way he described this period was, "I served in all commissioned ranks from a second lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period I spent most of my time being a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the bankers." Only difference was we moved from regional to world-class after the war.
Hard to believe this was written 100 years ago and not today.
Yeah, between the banana wars and the business plot, reading up on Butler's life is a pretty wild rabbit hole.